Hatbox Ghost
The Hatbox Ghost is a particularly infamous specter among the 999 ghosts of the Haunted Mansion. Haunting the attic alongside the Bride (later Constance), he is remarkable mainly for his legacy of being the "lost ghost" of the attraction, originally appearing briefly when the mansion opened 1969 and then vanishing without a trace. On May 9th, 2015, he rematerialized in his old haunting grounds. Appearances Described as "a cloaked figure with an evil, grinning face" in ''The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion'', the Hatbox Ghost stands by with a cane in his right hand and his namesake hatbox in his left. As riders look on, his head vanishes from his shoulders and reappears inside the hatbox, his top hat floating above the space where his head should be, only to have the head fade back into its original position moments later. The Original In 1969, the Hatbox Ghost was briefly in a corner of the attic opposite the Bride, his head supposedly fading and returning with each beat of the Bride's glowing, thudding heart. The Updated Ghoul Today, the Hatbox Ghost stands on the balcony as guests exit the attic before they descend to the graveyard. His head vanishes with a sinister chuckle or an occasional hiss and appears again in the hatbox, blinking and moving its eyes. Removal and Return Though the Hatbox Ghost was briefly in the attraction when it first opened, the intended effect of the vanishing head did not work out as planned. Imagineers tweaked with him, but he was soon taken out of the attraction. Rumor had speculated that the old parts for the Hatbox Ghost were used for the Sam the Eagle animatronic at the now defunct ride America Sings. This has since been disproved when a manual for The Haunted Mansion was auctioned off showing that the HBG was too simple to have any moving parts to end up in the Sam the Eagle figures. Some speculate that he was removed because he was "too scary for a family attraction." Early promotional material for the Haunted Mansion likewise heavily featured the character, and coupled with the fact that most never even saw him or the intended effect, he was not easily forgotten, The mystery of the character would persist for nearly 45 years, with all sorts of rumors and speculation floating around. This legacy has been reflected by both the company and the fans. The Hatbox Ghost continues to appear on merchandise, memorabilia and other Mansion-related items throughout the years, as well as making several cameos in various Disney media. In 2010, it was announced at San Diego Comic Con that Guillermo Del Toro's planned Haunted Mansion film would prominently feature the Hatbox Ghost. At the D23 Expo in 2013, a large animatronic figure was present at the show that was dressed to resemble the Hatbox Ghost. In early January of 2015, following the take down of the seasonal Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, a strange wall with a holographic window depicting one of the bat stanchions appeared on the balcony in the attraction. Many assumed this masked an upcoming addition to the attraction, and most surmised that it would be the Hatbox Ghost. Disney teased much of this by putting the Hatbox Ghost on much of their merchandise for the Haunted Mansion's 45th anniversary, and finally confirmed in late April that the Hatbox Ghost was indeed coming back to the attraction. On May 9th, following a week-long closure, the mansion reopened with an updated Hatbox Ghost figure in the spot where the "mystery wall" had been, using sophisticated video projection to create the illusion of the ghost's vanishing head. Other Appearances SLG Comics In the ''Mystery of the Manse'' storyline, the Hatbox Ghost is the spirit of Randall Pace, a gunrunner decapitated by William Gracey during a mutiny. He is one of the spirits summoned by Madame Leota to torment Emily de Claire on the day of her wedding to Gracey, and seems to lead the ghosts of Gracey's murdered crew in frightening her to death. The Hatbox Ghost makes several minor appearances throughout the comic as well. Marvel Disney Kingdoms ''comics Cameos *The Hatbox Ghost makes a cameo appearance in an episode of ''House of Mouse. *He did talk at some point when being part of the Disney craft tutorials to advertise Halloween specials made for the older Disney Channel. Tony Jay was the original voice actor behind the Hatbox Ghost whose giant head floated all over the TV screen until his death from lung cancer in 2006. Trivia *He has a similar face mold as the Skeleton hitchhiking ghost, Ezra, which happens to be an exact sculpt. *His dark chuckle was performed by Corey Burton who also voices the Ghost Host during Haunted Mansion Holiday. *In the Corridor of Doors, his face appears in many family portraits, some with his hat and some with a crown instead. *A long-enduring piece of fanon was that he became very bitter during his decades of absence, and hates Constance for having completely changed "his" Attic. Numerous fancomics on the subject were posted on the Internet, notably on DeviantArt. Hbghost01.jpg|The Original Hatbox Ghost figure Myths hatbox3.jpg.opt273x412o0,0s273x412.jpg|Mock-up of the original Hatbox Ghost HBG45457492LARGE-613x409.jpg|2015 Version of the Hatbox Ghost HBG45457491LARGE-613x409.jpg|Ditto Disneys-Haunted-Holidays-Website.png|Hattie from the Haunted Holidays event File: Hatbox_Ghost_with_an_orange_and_black_ribbon_on_his_tophat.jpg Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Comic Characters Category:Ghosts